Searching for Sanity
by the elsinatr
Summary: Keichi and Keoni Hyuuga are staying at their uncle Neji's place for the summer. As they explore the house, they find an old journal, dated from more than fifty years ago. Soon, they will find out about more family secrets than they bargained for.
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto

Summary: Keichi and Keoni Hyuuga are staying at their uncle Neji's place for the summer. As they explore the house, they find an old journal, dated from more fifty years ago. Soon, they will find out about more family secrets than they bargained for.

**Searching for Sanity**

**Prologue**

_He was just standing there, in that line-up, casually handing me my groceries. His shallow complexion and normal black hair and eyes didn't fascinate me much. To me, he was just like any other everyday citizen, doing a good deed in their haste to reach their eternal goal._

_Yet in that infinite amount of time, I felt that we were connected. _

_Somehow._

_Like we knew each other. Knew each other's deepest secrets. _

_Like a bolt of lightning, I looked closer in his eyes, and saw a brilliant shade of red, with black dots swirling around it, faster than a spinning top._

_My heart started beating even faster, almost matching the pace of his eyes._

_The world turned slowly for us, causing the actions of everyday passer-bys seem fluid and slow, dwindling until it couldn't slow down anymore._

_Even the atmosphere around us dimmed, and if I was looking around, I would only see blurs and outlines._

_But it didn't matter at that moment._

_For that small second in my life, I felt overwhelmed, excited and nervous._

_Nervous enough to start going back to my old ways of stuttering. If I even had the courage to talk, I wouldn't have been able to mutter comprehensible words._

_Still, it didn't matter, because the unspoken things that happened between us said more than we expected them to._

_And just like that, the world started spinning again at their normal pace, the average everyday crowd milling around, as I began to feel my legs moving me on autopilot. _

_I vaguely remembered me thanking him for his Samaritan Act, but everything else just... faded._

_It was as if he was never there._

* * *

Review if you want me to continue this amazing fic!


	2. Hyuuga Goddess

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto

A/N.: This fic occurs in Konoha, where the walls of Konoha have come down and it looks like a city now. Hyuuga Neji lives in the rural area, and it's 2009 there.

ON WITH THE FIC THEN.

* * *

"OJI-SAN!" squealed an excited eight-year old boy, clinging onto his uncle's arm for dear life, afraid to let go. His uncle, Hyuuga Neji smiled. "Okay, I guess that means you two have missed me." he said, adding a sarcastic tint to his voice.

Two hyper kids grinned toothily at him. Their parents, Hyuuga Hanabi and Sarutobi Konohamaru, were away on a vacation. Well, more like another honeymoon for them.

The two of them were already enrolled in the Ninja Academy, and both were agile fighters. They had already completed their kunai project, and they decided to take a break, since they were ahead of their class by a lot. Also, their teacher, Iruka, had a hard time trying to discern their faces, since Keoni decided to cut her hair as short as her brother's hair.

"Oji-saaan, what's for dinner?" whined the boy.

Rolling his eyes, he took the two kids inside the country house. They gasped in amazement. It had been three years since they last came to visit. The old dog, Shiji, sat in a corner, happily slurping water out of his bowl. The old grandfather clock sat in its usual spot, unmoving. Next to it, there was a ledge filled with old family photos, perched in chronological order, from Neji's father and uncle, Hiashi and Hizashi, to Hanabi and Konohamaru's wedding pictures. And last but not least, there was a picture with the whole familiy. Neji looked at it sadly, remembering the good times. He remembered every antic, every little detail of his family, down to the last time they had a picture together.

He came to his senses, when he heard Keichi's whining.

"Keichi, Keoni? Could you help me in the kitchen?" he asked, as they walked through his house. He herded them into the kitchen, where they found a miracle. Sitting on the table, waiting for them, were two cups of uncle Neji's strawberry ice cream. Keichi immediately ran to the ice cream, and began wolfing it down with animal-like intensity. Keoni, on the other hand, calmly walked to the table, and after thanking her uncle, started to eat.

"Oji-san," she asked."What'll we be doing?"

Neji smirked. "What do you think you guys are doing?"

"Cleaning?" piped up Keichi, looking solemn.

"Chores?" asked Keoni.

"SLAUGHTERING CHICKENS!?!!?!!"

Neji winced at the last guess. "Do I really look like an uncle who slaughters chickens??" he asked sternly. Keichi gulped, and chose to finish eating his ice cream. "Anyways, before Keichi decided to freak me out with his insightful suggestion, I thought, 'Why don't we all try to clean up this house as much as possible?' Wait," he added, as he saw that Keichi was about to bolt and run, "I'll pay you with ice cream??" he bargained. Keichi's eyes lightened up, and he did a victory dance, as Keoni said, "You've got a deal."

* * *

"Keoni," growled Keichi for about the fifth time, "This is the most stupid thing you've ever agreed to."

They were cleaning most of the attic, putting the unused items in one bin and used items in another. Keoni stood up from dusting the tupperware, and looked at Keichi sternly. "Look, this is for Neji-san. Just shut up and help me."

Neji poked his head in the attic. "Is everything all right here?" he curiously asked. Keoni and Keichi put fake smiles on, which didn't work on Neji at all. He frowned, and said, "I thought you guys wanted to do this?"

"We do, oji-san." she said, wiping the sweat off her brow. "It's just we sort of thought that the attic would be more... mysterious and exciting than just all of this." she replied, glaring at the ever-growing pile of unused items. Neji laughed, his booming voice echoing throughout the house. Keoni and Keichi smiled. It was one of the things they liked about their uncle, his big laugh.

Neji brushed tears of laughter and said, "Not everything in life has to be exciting! Kami knows I've had enough excitement for a lifetime." he added suddenly, a shadow passing over his face, which didn't go unnoticed by Keoni.

"Well, if you get tired or something, just come down. I'm making ice cream!..." he said, as he went down the stairs. As soon as he was gone, Keoni turned to Keichi, who was struggling with a mop from the 50's. There wasn't any doubt in her mind that she knew that Keichi didn't even notice their uncle's change of behavior. She sighed, and continued dusting the shelves.

* * *

Neji walked to the cupboard, took a pack of coffee, and put it in the coffeemaker. Suddenly, he heard raised voices upstairs. "Probably Keoni and Keichi," he thought, running his hands in his long brown hair. As he walked into the livingroom, he saw a picture of his late cousin, Hyuuga Hinata.

He stared at it. Hinata looked so happy there, smiling and prodding Neji in the ribs. 'She was never nervous when it came to me at that time. I wish she wasn't as nervous as she was in her childhood days.' He smiled sadly at it.

When he went to his favorite chair to take a nap in, he felt the regular dreamscoming. He didn't know what it was, but it regularly haunted him. All he wanted was for it to stop. He turned, and fell asleep, dreaming about his past.

He was eighteen again, accepting his position as the new Hyuuga leader. He said the solemn vow, as he saw, from the corner of his eye, a dejected Hinata poking her fingers together. She was wearing a beautiful kimono, white with blue sakura flowers on it. Neji knew she never did that anymore, and he was wondering why she was doing it now, in front of all the elders.

And just like that, the ceremony was finished, and Hinata walked out of the back door, and into the Hyuuga gardens. He was being congratulated by all his teams, and he couldn't even get out of the crowd to find out where his favorite cousin had gone off to.

After all, it was still his job to take care of her, just as his uncle Hiashi had instructed. After shaking off a very excited Lee, he ran out of the building, and searched for the pale-eyed maiden.

He found her, sitting as she usually did, amongst the flowers, softly humming in the eerie night air. Neji let out a sigh of relief, and walked over to her.

Eighteen years of long, hard training did Hinata well in the end. She had a long, slender body, beautiful eyes, and a curvaceous body. She had her hair up in chopsticks at the moment, courtesy of Tenten, and as Neji came over, Hinata paid no attention to him, preferring to stare at the flowers. Neji sighed, knowing that Hinata was always so stubborn, and in his opinion, he wouldn't get much through to her. All he knew was that he could never figure out how her mind worked.

It was always so hard for Neji, because he always thought that Hinata would stay her plump, petite self for all eternity. Now, he was faced with a stubborn, beautiful kunoichi, and for the first time in his life, he didn't know how to properly start a conversation with his own cousin. He felt embarassed and nervous, trying not to fumble or trip as he walked towards her. He blushed, staring at the ground, wishing with all his might that Hinata would talk to him, so that he wouldn't make a fool of himself.

But all was in vain, as Hinata kept on ignoring him, going about her daily business. Finally, Neji couldn't take it anymore. Taking a hesitant step towards her he said:

"Hinata?"

She continued to ignore him, and picked up one of the flowers. Turning away from him, she said coldly, "I hope you become a great leader, Neji-nii-san."

"Hinata, I-"

"WHAT?" she shouted, twirling around to face him. "WHAT DO YOU WANT?"

A nearby elder looked at the two of them arguing and immediately came over. "Is this branch girl bothering you, my Lord?" Neji gave a death glare to him, and he went away as quickly as he came. Neji looked at his cousin, who was silently crying.

"I-Is th-that all I'll... ever be now? B-branch g-girl?" she asked, already knowing the answer. It pained Neji to see her this way, and he felt guilty about agreeing to Hiashi's terms. He cautiously hugged her, as she sobbed silently. "No Hinata. You'll always be Hyuuga Hinata to me." he argued. Hinata let go and stared into Neji's eyes. She saw that they were full of wisdom and kindness, contrary to what his eyes were in his pre-teens.

"I wish you happiness, Neji-san." she muttered quietly, and walked away, fading into the dark.

"Hinata? HINATA!!! HIINAATTAA!" he yelled, running after her. Every time he saw her figure, he'd try and grab onto it, but it turned out to be a fake. He yelled hoarsely and tripped. Dragging his tired body, he screamed until his heart broke.

"Ojisan? OJI-SAAN!" yelled two kids. Neji woke up, realizing that it was just a dream. He got up, and gave a fake smile to the twins, who weren't impressed.

Keoni looked at him suspiciously. "Who's Hinata?" she asked. Keichi nodded excitedly, wondering what all the commotion was about.

"It's no one. Just a childhood friend." he said unconvincingly. Keoni wasn't impressed, but didn't peruse the subject any further. She dragged her brother up the stairs to continue cleaning.

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	3. Beniji and the Gang

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto

A/N.: PLEASE READ! CONCERNS NEXT GEN. NARUTO CHILDREN! Also, I am NOT FULLY JAPANESE, so if one of the names accidentally means something repulsive, do not sue me!

Ukita: age 16 - Naruto and Sakura's daughter : Team 7  
Yukio: age 17 - Naruto and Sakura's son : Team 7  
Hikari: age 16 - ??? and ???'s daughter : adopted by Iruka: ANBU (original member of Team 7, before becoming ANBU)

Keichi: age 15 - Hanabi and Konohamaru's son : Team 8  
Keoni: age 15 - Hanabi and Konohamaru's daughter : Team 8  
Jiro: age 16 - Chouji and Ino's son : Team 8

Beniji: age 15 - Naruto and Sakura's son : Team 10  
Mika: age 18 - Shikamaru and Temari's daughter : Team 10  
Takao: age 19 - Lee and Tenten's son : Team 10

Naruto, Sakura are 40. Hanabi and Konohamaru are 30. Chouji and Ino are 41, and Shikamaru is 40 and Temari is 44. Iruka is 60.

Everyone married after the Pein era. (lol, the Pein era... haha)

* * *

"Ya... We're having fun Mom... Okay... you guys have a good time... ya... yes we're helping... yes i'm keeping Keichi in check... arigato, bye!" Keoni put the phone on the reciever and turned to her brother.

"You didn't tell her, did you?" stated Keichi, serious for once. Keoni shook her head, her brilliant mahogany hair shining in the light, and went to make some coffee. It had been five years since that fateful summer day, when Keoni went down to find her uncle screaming in his sleep. They were now chunins, and very adept chunins. Both of them were on the same team, since they each had abilities that needed either one's assistance. They also had their mother's kekkai genkai, the Byakugan. Their team was comprised of Jiro and Haruno Sakura as their sensei. Keoni already tried to learn medical jutsu, but it turned out that she was much better with sealing and weapons. Konohamaru was now teaching Keoni how to master the Rasengan, which was proving to be easy, seeing that Keoni was a mastermind in her own way. Keichi, on the other hand, was extremely talented at ninjutsu and healing. Jiro was a taijutsu specialist, along with his mother's kekkai genkai at his disposal. His friendly smile and beautiful face could turn deadly on the battlefield. He was Konoha's heartthrob, with the only difference from Sasuke was that he was the flirty type. Ino and Chouji had to deal with the ever-increasing girls coming in and out of their house ever since Jiro turned 14.

"Should we go through most of the attic?" suggested Keoni, eager for something to do. She would rather be working than to be alone. Most of the time, she'd go hang out with Ukita and Beniji at Ichiraku Noodle Shop. But ever since Haruno-sensei told them to volunteer in their spare time, they helped out at Neji's house. "Yeah, I think we should." Keichi agreed, and Keoni steered him to the attic.

They opened the door and gasped at the sight. Piles and piles of junk and debris were scattered, making it impossible to move. Spiders were crawling in the shelf Keoni dusted years ago. A layer of dust clogged the floor, causing a terrible smell. Keichi searched for the old mop he used long ago. Finally he found it, and made a pathway for them to move across.

Keoni looked like she was about to puke. Quickly putting herself together, she did the most sane thing she could do in this situation: plan.

"Okay, I know how you don't like to clean, Keichi," she said, and Keichi grimaced," but we have to do something about uncle Neji's attic." She pointed to the north-west corner of the room. "You'll clean out that old desk." Next she gestured to the closet, which looked anything but nice. "I'll do the closet." she gulped, wondering what was in there. "And we'll both vacuum, because that's all we really need to do."

She put her hands on her hips, and gave Keichi a smug look. Groaning, he set off to work.

* * *

The slurping of soup and quiet breathing in the still silence of the dining room was getting to Iruka. He was usually a person who enjoyed the company of others, but tonight was out of the question. He looked at the eerily calm faces of Hikari, who was staring intently at her soup bowl. She was playing with her midnight black hair,. After a few minutes, he couldn't take it any longer.

He stood up, his chair creaking against the hardwood floor. "Okay. Spit it out. What's up with you?" he asked. A pale face with black eyes and dark hair stared at him, making him feel uncomfortable. 'Damn, why didn't I adopt Naruto all those years,' he thought, feeling the strength of her stare hit him.

"What's up, Iru-... I mean, Dad?" asked Hikari, after a very pregnant pause. Iruka's eye twitched. "Why can't you people... talk to each other during supper or something?" he spat out desperately. Hikari looked at him, and you could see that she finally put two and two together: her Dad had finally gone insane.

Iruka practically ran to the kitchen, despite the fact that he was in his sixties. "I'll find out sooner or later." he muttered, fixing up his ponytail as he started to do the dishes.

* * *

"Sakuraa-hime." called out a voice not unlike Naruto's. After Danzo's 'accidental' death, there was a constant need for an audience with the jinchuuriki. And it didn't help when Sakura leaked out the information about him being a 'Namikaze' to Ino, the village gossip. Due to most of the female population being too friendly, there was an ever-increasing amount of security around him. Not that it was needed. Married to Sakura had its benefits and pitfalls.

But then again, who wouldn't want to protect the Hokage?

Yes, Namikaze Naruto was now the seventh Hokage. Thanks to him, most of the war-torn countries, Rain Village included, had been able to restore themselves to grandeur. Most of the riches were now evenly divided, or as divided as Naruto wanted them to be.

"SAAKKUURA-" he said, bursting out of his office. Haruno Sakura was casually walking down the hallway when she heard her husband's voice. "What a baka." she grinned evilly, and shunshin'd to the Hokage office.

"SAAA-mmph..." Sakura put a hand to Naruto's mouth, as she dragged him into the office, closing the door with a bang. Scuffles and grunts and moans and screams could be heard from the outside (lol i know what you creeps are thinking... kukuku, me too)

So much for Konoha's security.

* * *

Keoni brushed her dark bangs out of her face. It had been an hour since she assigned jobs for the both of them. Looking up at where Keichi was, it wasn't going well for him either. He saw her looking at him, gave her the middle finger, and proceeded with his work. Keoni growled, killer intent radiating off of her in waves. Just as she was about to throttle Keichi, someone opened the attic door.

"Everything all right?" asked an elderly man. Keoni and Keichi looked at the face protruding out of the door.

To put it in the nicest terms, Hyuuga Neji had aged considerably even though he was forty. To an average passer-by, he could probably pass off as a sixty year old man. He had wrinkles, grey hair, and carried a cane wherever he went. At that moment, he looked like a grumpy old man.

Keoni rearranged her features so that it looked like she was smiling. "Nothing's wrong, oji-san."

Neji narrowed his eyes; it had been years since he was able to use the Byakugan. "Well, there's someone on the phone for you anyways..." He tottered down the rickety attic steps. Keichi and Keoni listened to him leave. Turning to face her brother, she glared malevolently at him. "You know, if oji-san catches you being bad-ass now, he'll stick his cane up your-"

"Nice. You're one to talk." Keichi stuck out his tongue. "WHY YOU LITTLE-"

"KEONI! THE PHONE!" boomed her uncle's voice, reaching the floorboards of the attic. "I'm coming, I'm coming." she shouted and stomped like an elephant down the old attic stairs.

Neji looked at her disapprovingly. He gestured to the cordless phone, sitting on the breakfast table next to the livingroom. Keoni flashed a fake smile at him and picked up the phone.

"Hello?" She listened, and heard a man's voice.

"Hyuuga Keoni?"

* * *

"Oh go on, Takao, just one more." said a red-nosed kunoichi named Mika. Takao groaned, wondering how he was even able to hang out with her in the first place. He, on all accounts, should be the one who can't have a drink to save his life. According to Neji, his father, Lee, couldn't even down one glass without killing everyone in the vicinity.

But, since it was Mika's 18th birthday, she just HAD to drag him along for the ride. He sighed, brushing his dark locks out of his eyes. He groaned, as he remembered how his mother, Tenten, had rushed out of the house with a kunai, threatening to chop off his long bangs. Apparently it made him look like an Uchiha. She always praised Kami for the fact that he didn't inherit Lee's gigantic eyebrows. Shrugging, he continued to concentrate on his female friend, who was singing "We are the Champions" off-key.

Rock Takao had been Nara Mika's friend ever since she, quite literally, fell out of the sky on him on his fourth birthday. It all happened when her mother, Temari, was taking Mika on a trip using her fan, and accidentally did a swan dive. Thankfully, he was there to catch her, and it always turned out like that. She was always in trouble, whether it was with the hokage, or when she tried to play tricks on Matsui and Hikari (which never work due to the fact that Hikari's already in ANBU). Unfortunately, the only thing she ever inherited from her father, Shikamaru, was his dark hair and lazy attitude. 'Too bad,' he thought. 'Shikamaru-san has a brilliant mind'.

"Okay Mika, I think that's enough." he said firmly, dragging the spluttering female out of the bar. "Aww, you're such a party-p... a party-poo... How does it go a-agin?" she said, obviously stoned. Trying his hardest not to roll his eyes, he asked. "Walk for me." He wanted to see how drunk she was.

She tried to walk, but ended up falling on him. Sighing heavily, he just picked her up and walked to her house. He looked at his watch, and it beeped: 8 o'clock. No doubt there would be a lot of questions from Temari when she saw them.

* * *

Neji and Keichi groaned in unison as another "I know" echoed throughout the house. It was coming from the kitchen, and sadly, the dining room was right beside it. Another bout of laughter soared out of it, causing Keichi to shudder. 'Dear Kami,' he thought, 'Please make Keoni stop. NOW!' Meanwhile, Neji looked at his watch. It was fifteen past 8, and she still hadn't come for dinner.

"Keichi," he asked, after looking at his nephew's face. "Do teenage girls actually... act like this?" He definitely knew that Hinata wasn't like that at all. But then again, it was before the Hyuugas actually had phones around the compound. He highly doubted that Hiashi would let her daughter use the only phone for such frivolities.

Keichi smirked. "You have no idea."

As all of this was happening, Keoni was busy in the kitchen laughing her head off.

"...And then, you know what happens? He tries to get out of the river, but I totally push off the ledge, and his head was so deflated... you know how Keichi's hair is impossible."

"_yeah, i know._"

"How is everything with your dad?"

"_So so. He still won't talk to me._"

"Why? He was so quick to forgive the leader of Akatsuki, of all people."

"_You know how he is. Village, ramen, and Sakura is always on his mind._"

"HA! Nice. Well, if you need help, you can always talk to me."

"_Thanks a lot Keoni-chan. I didn't know who to phone, so I just asked Mika-chan for your number._" Keoni could almost see him scratching the back of his head.

"Anytime."

"_See you tomorrow, Keoni._" He hung up the phone.

"Love you, Beniji." Keoni muttered quietly into the reciever. As she entered the dining room, she felt the eyes of Keichi and Neji on her. "I'm going to bed." she mumbled, and ran to the second floor.

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